But there is another, more exciting side to Brown’s rapid development.

England’s player of the series so far, he has blasted into the class of Israel Dagg, of New Zealand, and Israel Folau, of Australia.

His attacking bursts have turned games round for his country. He now poses a dire threat to Wales, 12 months on from the calamity in Cardiff.

Tell him he is the new poster boy for Stuart Lancaster’s side and he squirms in his chair.

“I don’t see myself as the star of the team. That makes me feel uncomfortable to be honest,” he says.

“I don’t think there are any stars in this team. We’re just guys who enjoy each other’s company on and off the field, trying to work hard for each other, and I think you can see that in all the performances, in the way this team has moved on together from a dodgy start [the defeat in Paris].”

Yes, yes. Party line. But Brown has become the rapier in England’s back play.

His back-three partnership with the novices Jonny May and Jack Nowell has surpassed expectations.

“We’ve turned it round and the rugby we’re playing has been brilliant,” he concedes.

“When I look at the guys in front of me – Joe Launchbury or Owen Faz [Farrell], Courtney Lawes, Robbo [Chris Robshaw] – putting in world-class performances, it just spurs me on to try and be better myself.”

Though he insists: “I enjoy the confrontational, physical style of rugby, and that’s ultimately why I played it when I was young,” skill, speed and boldness are his calling cards in this championship.

His athletic development into a sprinter with a rugby ball under his arm stems from work with Margot Wells, wife of former Olympic sprinter Allan – plus his own personal urge to attack as well as he defends.

“I’m pretty hard on myself and sometimes I see the negatives before the positives.

The great thing about being here in this culture is that everyone’s trying to get better,” he says. “If you want to be a world-class 15 you have to have the ability to counter-attack.

“It’s always been one of my strengths. It’s just about me trying to get that on to the pitch at the highest level when I do get the opportunity to be on the front foot and make something happen for the team.”

Twenty-four caps for a 28-year-old with his ability is a small haul. He is, though, catching up fast.

In four of England’s past six games he has led the metres-gained table, averaging 89.

His tries against Scotland and France preceded a match-saving catch against Ireland, which prompted a good-luck video message from Peter Schmeichel, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, whose acrobatics Brown tries to replicate on the training ground.

He says: “When I loaded my Twitter and that came up I couldn’t believe it really. I was overwhelmed.

"To get messages like that from someone who’s played at the highest level and in one of the best teams in all sports – the Treble-winning team – is incredible. It’s great to get messages from England rugby fans as well.

“I’d like to meet all the Man United players, past and present, but it would be good to meet him personally and thank him.

"We did a couple the other day before we started, just messing around. It’s not really a drill.

“We were outside one day waiting for the session to start and DC [Danny Care] just booted the ball for me to save. He always shouts ‘Schmeichel’.

"In the Ireland game I did everything I could to stop that ball going over my head. As a fullback you can’t let people past.”

Brown is in no hurry to analyse his rivalry with Halfpenny, the British and Irish Lions fullback, saying, “I won’t be focusing just on him”, but is expansive about his own improvement.

“All around. Back-field coverage, working with Faz [Andy Farrell, the backs coach], in the defensive system we’ve got here.

"My attacking game – trying to step up as first receiver, involved all over the field, and try to continue with my counter-attacking game.”

Of England’s new counter-attacking style, Lancaster says: “That threat’s always been there. Mike’s decision making on the counter-attack has improved. It’s not ‘run it back at very opportunity’. Sometimes if the kick’s on he kicks.

“His ability to beat the first defender has always set him apart. I think the point of difference for him particularly in the last three or four games has been his ability to influence attacking in the final third.

“So we’ve really worked hard on getting the ball in his hands more, and getting him at first receiver.

"If you can do it 60 metres from someone’s try line you’re hopefully going to be effective 20 metres from someone’s try line, so I think that’s where he’s matured as a player.

"And obviously his back-three understanding has been a big development over the past 12 months as well.”

Wells has worked on his “body functionality”. Brows are furrowed but Brown explains: “She comes up with these little exercises which help align the body. I don’t know how she does it.

"She comes up with these random exercises that always do the job they’re meant to do.

"They help with your speed and power, and making your bodywork as one, so you feel sharper.”

It is not the anger that Wales will fear so much this weekend as the agility and audacity of Mike ‘Counter-Attacker’ Brown.